The Designs That Come To Mind
by sctwilightvampwolfgal
Summary: Emilie was his muse, no matter what, and more of his muse than people'd ever guess her to be.
1. Chapter 1

The dress clung to her like nothing else, only leaving it's tight constraints and billowing out not far from her feet.

Green was a striking color on Emilie; it lit up her eyes and somehow made her look more alive, and yet that dress concealed a side to her beauty and almost appeared fake.

Gabriel had to bite back the urge to sketch her, to sketch a purple color, a dress that would stand in stark contrast to her skin tone, bring out the pale color to her skin, and hint at the lighter streaks of blond hair that were barely noticeable under the wave of the rest of them.

She'd come to life like paint on a canvas, fabric cascaded around her in deep purple hues, making the loose, soft fabric for a lady as beautiful and elegant as her, surely deserved softer fabric, nothing too stiff, nothing too rigid, or too formal.

It would be a ballgown fit for a princess, fit for a queen, and Gabriel's mouth ran dry; the image too vivid, too real in his head, calling into contrast his reality, and making him really wish that he'd had more than his finely tuned and sculpted notebook, full of designs that had been drawn and redrawn probably hundreds of times over. He wanted them to be perfect especially since he was looking for more than internment possibilities; he wanted to see just how far he could go, be challenged beyond belief, and rise up on top. It was how he was raised after all.

"Oh, who do we have here?" Her voice wasn't as dainty as he'd imagined it to be, but it was just as gentle and almost as soft as the ballgown that invaded his thoughts at the sight of her before.

"I'm Gabriel Agreste." The name didn't mean much in the long scheme of things since he wasn't famous, but his gruff tone nearly sounded like he was.

"You're quite confident. I'm Emilie." She shrugged, like her fortune or family didn't mean all that much as far as the fashion business went.

"You're beautiful tonight, but the dress doesn't quite suit you." Gabriel hated those foolish words that tumbled out of his mouth, but he couldn't pull them back fast enough.

"What does then?" Emilie's tone wasn't judging or harsh, not even as she left his side to return a moment later with a notebook that she must have had somewhere nearby, "Draw it for me."  
He'd been stunned silent by her earlier question and yet he knew enough that the pen handed to him wasn't nearly enough to catch just what he'd seen in his head as he sketched the ballgown in blue ink, soft as silk, gorgeous as can be.

His hands would have shaken under the burden of his nerves before her, but all that he wanted to do was catch it perfectly on to the page, "Do you have watercolors?"

"Oh?" Emilie teased lightly though her curiosity shone through as she marched from the elegant ballroom, guiding Gabriel by fleeting touches of her hand.

She stopped before a large room and when she pushed into it, he found an art studio.

"It isn't much. I'm not as good as the artists, I admire, but it does have watercolors." She moved around to set up a small arrangement of watercolors, reaching for water, but pausing to watch when Gabriel dropped down to carefully paint over the dress, and she gaped openly at the sight of the dress becoming such a gorgeous shade of purple that fit more like a purple splotch over the page though it quickly turned into a smile of her own.

Gabriel only paused from his work when Emilie sat down beside him to stare at the just finished dress on the page, "I'd hire you."  
Somehow his gown had stretched from a more simple gown into a detailed masterpiece, light ruffles spread out from the bottom of the dress though vanished shortly after they began before another spot of ruffles cascaded over part of the top. The purple didn't change shade, but the ruffles appeared so slight and small on the drawing that it would have been hard if you weren't really looking to spot them.

"I'd be honored, but you can't." Gabriel played with the pen from before before he scrawled down the kind of fabric he'd need and calmly asked what size she wore.

Emilie to this day had no idea how she'd answered him, let alone told him the right size.


	2. Chapter 2

"Can you sketch me?" Emilie leaned against her boyfriend's side as her feet swung lightly over the crystal clear lake before them before dipping back in, her painted green toe nails became harder to spot under the water even though they didn't go far.

"I don't sketch people. I draw clothes." Gabriel put it simply.

"Then sketch what I'd be as a dress." Emilie responded just as simply, almost carefree in this moment together.

"Okay." Gabriel reached for his sketchbook that had served him well these past few months though he hadn't gotten an internship at that ball, let alone earned the trust or respect of Emilie's father, who doubted that Gabriel would work hard and not use Emilie's status to rise up to fame.

As he glanced at her, he practically saw her as a mermaid of the lake, beautiful sea blue met just a hint of green in a dress that would flow down to her ankles before dispersing slightly in a wave and stepping back out away from her.

She'd look even more like a princess under its steady warmth and glow, just a little stiffer than silk, but not by much; harsh, straight lines wouldn't come to suit her so well.

Emilie looked gorgeous under flowing fabric; her tall legs truly got a chance to shine, and her body appeared just a little bit fuller under flowing fabric.

She'd be gorgeous either way, but it made more sense to give her the chance to truly rise above just gorgeous with what she'd wear.

The dress would catch on how truly playful she is and how carefree she looked right now leaning on him and sending a bright, childlike smile his way. All that he could see was the beautiful woman that he was falling in love with and the gorgeous dress that sprang to mind at the sight of her.

Her skin would glow under the just a touch greener and just a touch darker than sky blue fabric, bringing a hint of more color and life to her skin, and making the green of her eyes nearly look darker in contrast.

Emilie would shine like a beacon of light in the dress, without outlandishly drawing the attention of everyone in the room to uncomfortable levels; it would almost be informal, almost casual wear, just a touch above that.

She'd glow like a mermaid's tail, and the dress would mold to her frame, making her hips and waist softer, letting her body relax after a long day of acting like every potential business partner is her best friend. She rarely genuinely opened up to anyone though she had let Gabriel in without little effort since that ball.

Emilie had been blown away; her father had not been.

"Am I more of the lake or..?" Emilie watched him sketch as if she'd been mesmerized by the way a pencil can meet the page for years.

"You're you." Gabriel could be blunt, and now was no exception.

Emilie rolled her eyes, "You workaholic. What will our future kids say or think?" A warmth tickled Gabriel's chest at the thought of them having children together one day; Emilie would make an incredible mother one day.

"They'll be proud of their father that never gives up on his dreams, and they'll adore their mother that loves them more than anything." Gabriel reached out for the pack of coloring supplies that Emilie had brought along in case she was inspired to draw anything though was probably brought instead for Gabriel.

The blue that he'd started shading it in with wasn't enough, so he reached out for a light green to take some of the blue tint off, make it a hint more like the lake that inspired it. The mostly blue dress stood out on the page as he carefully wrote down his notes before he looked up to lock eyes on his girlfriend.

He wasn't sure that he hadn't fallen in love with her on the day that they met.


End file.
